Lesson 6

[Rick Whitney]

R. Whitney Lesson 6

What I learned is to focus more reason into the deaths we see and not go too over the top and have masses of character deaths for no reason

Character Death 1:

Why: To show there is a danger with these creatures

How: Unseen attack (only heard) in a dark jungle

Character Death 2:

Why: To show the danger has been moved from the jungle to the lab

How: Unseen attack in lab (only screams heard)

Character Death 3:

Why: To show how the danger is on the loose and to show how these creatures attack plus it gives a first view of a weakness on how to kill these things

How: the creature hangs from the roof edge and grabs its victim.

Character Death 4:

Why: To show how indiscriminate the creatures are and how bullets are ineffective except when focused on it’s weak spot.

How: the creature uses its green color to blend as it hangs from a tree and grabs its victim.

Character Death 5:

Why: To show how even our main character can be subject to the wrath of the creature

How: the creature attacks while our hero is setting up traps.

[Kevin Lobo]

Kevin Lobo’s Lesson 6 assignment.

What I learned doing this assignment is…I am beginning to see how this process works. Ordinarily I would have just slotted these events in as I wrote. Now I have a definite plot/timeline building in the outline and I can see everything coming together cohesively. Thank you.

1. Give us the order your characters die in.

The evil spirit will kill the 5 of the group of 6, one by one on their birthdays as they turn 19. They will all be killed in exactly the same way, crucified upside down as the killer would do in his physical life. However, we find the head of the victims missing, leading to the other subplot of the movie.

Kimberly, the one who received the spell and discretely led the group to the graveyard to try it out will be the last to get possessed but will survive as in the final night at the graveyard the evil spirit turns its attention to its true revenge on the two men that caused his downfall.

With each character tell us the why and how.

Character Death 1: Bradley

Why: Bradley is big handsome guy, the
football star, the crush of all the high school girls and also the rich
kid of the village. He is also the boisterous and brawny one. His birthday
night is when things kick off in the opening scene and he dies that night
as he is the first to turn 19 (besides having a reckless bravado who
lingers a little longer one the spell works and the grave erupts.

How: Bradley is crucified upside down
on a tree in the graveyard and his head goes missing. It is how all the
teens will be killed by the spirit.

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Character Death 2: Sarah

Why: Sarah is next to turn 19. She had
a deep crush on Bradley and is determined to venture out that night as a
tribute to him.

How: Sarah is crucified upside down on
a wall and her head goes missing.

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Character Death 3: Ruth

Why: Ruth is next to turn 19. She is
also the wild one who just having killed her family trying to escape the
town to save her, is determined to party on her birthday despite the warnings.

How: Ruth is crucified upside down on
a trailer in the village square in the midst of all the villagers gathered
to celebrate her birthday. Her head goes missing in the mayhem that ensues.

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Character Death 4 and 5: Jason
and Glen (the twins)

Why: Jason and Glen being twins turn
19 together. Their family assisted by the village do their best to keep
the inseparable twins apart. The evil spirit manages to jump from one to
the other but in the end wins by bringing them both together and killing
them.

How: Jason and Glen are both crucified
upside down back at the graveyard as they try to fight the evil spirit and
take it back to the graveyard and free the village from its wrath.

2. Build the answers into your outline. – Not sure if I should post my entire completed outline with all of these details factored in.

[Tom Freyer]

Tom’s CHARACTER DEATH TRACK

What I leaned: I’m starting to create a beginning, middle and end with the characters and plot, but it’s far from an “outline’ at this point.

Character Death 1: Chief Medical Officer DR. RANJIT PATEL

Why: He is the carrier. His scientific curiousity and disprespect for Captain Vanderpool causes him to disobey a direct order.

How: The creature’s disguised as an alien cadaver. It bores into his eye and devour his adrenal gland. Shows why it kills.

Character Death 2: Seaman Second Class TOBY SCHEIN

Why: Sacrificial Lamb.

How: Shows how it kills. Through the eye

Character Death 3: Chief Engineer DAVE OSMOND

Why: Warns the Captain who demands evidence, on way back to video console, stops at head to “take a dump”

How: Through his rectum

Character Death 4: First Mate QUANTELL JEFFERSON

Why: Mistaken about what will kill Creature, thinks he froze it.

How: We don’t how he died but he’s been replaced by the creature. Shows it can chameleon itself into anything.

Character Death 5: Seaman First Class MALLORY EWING

Why: Her faith has clouded her eyes. The real Jefferson is dead.

How: Jefferson transforms into the creature and attacks Mallory through her eye.

Character Death 5: Captain TAYLOR VANDERPOOL

Why: Was in denial about creature. Shows no-one is safe.

How: Pulls down the periscope and peers into it. The creature attacks his eye.

Character Death 7-12: Group of unnamed Seaman

Why: Startled during Mess, then unvoluntary laughter

How: Creature dives into group and kills them all.

Character Death 13: Chief Petty Officer RAYMOND “RAY-RAY” DELACOURT.

Why: Sacrices himself to save Angel

How: Fights it with a fire extinguisher but loses

• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by  Tom Freyer.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by  Tom Freyer.

[Michael Jones]

Mike’s Character Death Track

What I learned doing this assignment is…?

To build tension and have the deaths come at the right moment to increase stakes. Each shows the reactionary variables of people in a high pressure situation. It’s not necessarily who they are but who they become in those tense moments. I also wanted to have the villain somewhat wild, but still very human, and the Sasquatch somewhat tame, though very wild.

I also changed some plot elements and rearranged some character incidents. I tend to like to have a purpose or reason for doing something (even if it’s to show there doesn’t have to be a reason), so I enjoyed giving these characters a bit more life than existing mainly to be killed, though, that’s exactly why they are there!

Character Death 1: Danny tumbles down a hill and ends up impaled on a spiked branch from a fallen tree.

Why?: He feigns courage but actually has none and seeks to escape.

How?: He charges carelessly into action and not prepared for what he sees. The Feral Phantom chases him.

Character Death 2: Flint is a threat a gets throttled by the Sasquatch.

Why? Flint is out for the trophy. He wants the Sasquatch to be a thing on display. That goes against the Feral Phantom’s purpose.

How? Flint fires his gun at the Feral Phantom and the Sasquatch sneaks up and destroys him with physical strength. Maybe even rips an arm off.

Character Death 3: Katie accidentally shot by Nate.

Why?: Nate uses Flint’s rifle to try and kill the Sasquatch out of fear but misses and hits Katie.

How?: Attempts to shoot the Sasquatch but fails, Katie trying to stop him but he thinks she’s in danger.

Character Death 4: Nate shoots himself for killing Katie.

Why?: He can’t live with himself or face the consequences.

How?: He gives up and puts a bullet in his head.

Character Death 5: Dr. Julian gets killed by Declan.

Why?: Dr. Julian wants to experiment on the Sasquatch and confine it for his own interests. That doesn’t sit well with it’s protector, and Declan knows the greater enemy.

How?: Declan stabs him in the heart (“If only you knew how to use it better.),” and the Feral Phantom frees him of the knife.

Character Near Death: Declan almost succumbs to the Feral Phantom but is spared.

Why?: The Feral Phantom thinks Declan is a threat, at first, but they come to have a mutual respect though difference of opinion.

How?: The Feral Phantom will use his instruments against him but let him live at the last minute.

Most deaths are reactionary, a direct threat, or caused by their own actions. The Phantom means only to scare but things can get out of hand fast. Phantom lives an isolated life as if her fate is tied to the Bigfoot’s.

Megan, Maddy, and Sam survive. Megan’s views are shaken but doesn’t blame Sam for these unforeseeable events, but Maddy can’t do likewise. She can’t forget, and she can’t see Sam the same. He used to be the one that let her dream. Now, all she’ll have are nightmares. “You gave us a memory, but it wasn’t the one you hoped for.”

Building the Deaths into the Outline

ACT 1

Atmosphere of Evil established: Eight year old child, Darian Brown, playing hide and seek. Here’s the ‘Ready or not, here I come’ in the distance and goes further into the woods. He sees a stone cottage to hide in.

Horror Situation: Snapping twigs.

Reaction – stifled laughter: No way he’ll be found.

Horror Situation: Darian looks out and he sees something.

Reaction – terror: His face shows it.

Horror situation: Monster approaching and no escape.

Reactions – defeat: Screams as all goes dark.

Connect with the characters: 12 Years Later: Sam leads Megan, Nate, Maddy, Kate, and Danny along the trail, with Sam retelling the story of Darian Brown.

The characters are warned not to do it: Some strange sounds, eerie forebodings, and a solo female hiker warns them of some unusual activity from a strange part of the forest named, “The Whispering Thicket.” “They say there’s a phantom up there. The Feral Phantom. That is if you believe in that stuff,” she says before hiking off. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Intro of Dr. Julian Grimm, Declan Caldwell, and Flint Maddox.

Denial of Horror: Sam assures his friends that this will be a fun time, a time to remember, and despite the stories, there’s no cause to fear.

Safety taken away: Sam and friends enter ‘The Whispering Thicket,’ where Darian saw the monster. They go to the abandoned stone cottage but refuse to enter.

Horror Situation: Spooky. They hear something behind them. Their exit is blocked by something but they can’t see what it is.

Reaction – Argue: They argue over what it could be.

Horror Situation: Two tree knocks, loud and close.

Reaction – Flee into shelter: They hide in the ruins of the abandoned stone cottage.

Monster: The nature of the beast: The friends peek outs and get their first glimpse of the monster.

Horror Situation: A quick glimpse of a Sasquatch steps out from a tree.

Reaction – Panic and confusion: Terror-stricken, they attempt to make sense of what they think they see.

Horror Situation: More spook. Evidence of rituals.

Reaction – Fear and blame. They blame Sam for bringing them there but they just want to get out.

Horror Situation: Noises and sounds of the Sasquatch close, then silence.

Reaction – Helpless and afraid. Trapped. Evening approaching.

ACT 2 — THE POINT OF NO RETURN

Isolated / Trapped / Abducted: Friends trapped in abandoned cottage.

Horror Situation: Menacing figure, whispers.

Reaction – Denial: Megan argues with Katie that the thicket, the whispers, the folklore of the ‘Feral Phantom’ is a story, which is never as magical as they seem. “This isn’t the movies.”

Horror Situation: Feral Phantom makes an appearance.

Reaction: Nate becomes hysterical. Danny becomes a liability.

Character Death: Danny faces the terror only to find he hasn’t the courage. Flint, the hunter, finds him. Danny tells his friends they’re being pranked and he’ll prove it. Despite protests, he strides out in full bravado.

Horror Situation: The friends see Danny fall backwards and scrambles up. Something has him spooked. They peek from the stone ruins to find the Feral Phantom chasing and shouting at Danny but they can’t hear what it’s saying.

Reaction – Megan barrels out and Sam follows but they don’t see anything. They hear Danny screaming. More sounds send them back inside where they fret about Danny.

Character Death 1: Danny tumbles down a hill and ends up impaled on a spiked branch from a fallen tree.

Why?: He feigns courage but actually has none and seeks to escape.

How?: He charges carelessly into action and not prepared for what he sees. The Feral Phantom chases him.

Horror Situation: Danny falls to his death, impaled on broken branch of a fallen log.

Reaction: Lands in front of Flint Maddox, Declan Caldwell and Dr. Julian grim. Flint sees the Feral Phantom.

Choices: Declan argues with Flint and Dr. Julian that they need to notify the police about the body. Flint convinces them not, too, but to satisfy Declan agrees to protect the body from wildlife and alert the authorities when finished. “This is a sign. This is what we came here to do. Call it in, might as well go home,” Flint tells them. Dr. Julian wants to keep going, and his excitement shows.

The friends argue about what to do and how they need to find Danny.

Horror Situations Stones thrown at cottage. Gunshot.

Reaction: Sam confronts the danger but it’s only Dr. Julian and team.

Horror Situation: The group weeps at the news of Danny. Flint matter of fact, not so gentle. Told of a Sasquatch. Nighttime. Foggy. The door bangs.

Reaction: Flint grabs his gun and checks from the doorway. He fires a shot, just because.

Horror Situation: A stone hits Flint. He sees the masked phantom but it vanishes.

Reaction: Mayhem. The friends make a run for it, despite protests from Declan. Nate remains behind.

MIDPOINT: The monster is worse than we thought! They think the Sasquatch is playing with them, like an orca with a seal.

Full pursuit by the killer: Dr. Julian tries helping teens escape but the teens see the Sasquatch again and separate, some into the cave, where the Sasquatch enters.

Horror Situation: Monster approaches.

Reaction: Sam splits from Megan, Katie, and Maddy in the mayhem. Megan, Katie and Maddy enter a cave. “That could be that thing’s lair,” Maddy protests.

Terrorized: In the cave the noises and sounds of the approaching Sasquatch with no escape. But something else hunts them. Something more terrifying. Actual villain revealed.

Horror Situation: The Sasquatch enters the cave.

Reaction: The friends retreat further in and try to hid in a dark recess. They hear it. “We’re dead. You don’t think that thing can’t smell us?” – Maddy; “Doesn’t have to smell us, just listen to you freak out.” – Megan.

Horror Situation: Megan feels something. Katie turns on flashlight. Bones!

Reaction: Maddy screams the flashlight catches eye shine and the light goes out.

Horror Situation: Feral Phantom makes strange incantation-like sounds in front of Sam.

Reaction: He freezes but Flint fires off his gun. Sam escapes while Flint confronts the Feral Phantom.

The girls intercept Sam who has a bit of a jump scare at their call. They tell him how the Sasquatch let them go. Just sniffed them and made sure they were okay.

Horror Situation: The Feral Phantom disappears behind a tree. Flint moves toward it. He shoots at it. Raises gun for another shot, when…SMASH. His body snaps as the giant ape destroys him.

Character Death 2: Flint is a threat a gets throttled by the Sasquatch.

Why? Flint is out for the trophy. He wants the Sasquatch to be a thing on display. That goes against the Feral Phantom’s purpose.

How? Flint fires his gun at the Feral Phantom and the Sasquatch sneaks up and destroys him with physical strength. Maybe even rips an arm off.

Reaction: Markings on a tree. Declan recognizes something, so does Katie. Nate takes gun for protection.

Sam and the girls run into Declan and he tells about the symbols he saw. He and Katie try to figure out the markings. Katie remembers them from a paper about the research of Dr. Eleanor Sable. “This is just a woman doing this?” – Dr. Julian takes a needle attached to vile of poison. Declan knows and tells Katie what happens as Dr. Julian hunts the Feral Phantom. “Where’s Nate?” The friends go out to find him.

Nate alone and paranoid. The Feral Phantom taunts him. He fires the gun, not well. Katie appears with Megan behind.

Character Death 3: Katie accidentally shot by Nate.

Why?: Nate uses Flint’s rifle to try and kill the Sasquatch out of fear but misses and hits Katie.

How?: Attempts to shoot the Sasquatch but fails, Katie trying to stop him but he thinks she’s in danger.

Character Death 4: Nate shoots himself for killing Katie.

Why?: He can’t live with himself or face the consequences.

How?: He gives up and puts a bullet in his head.

ACT 3 — FULL OUT HORROR

Fight to the death: Declan, Sam and Megan calm Dr. Julian and devise a trap for the Sasquatch.

Horror Situation: Sasquatch lured to trap. It doesn’t work.

Reaction: Escape and confrontation.

Dr. Julian spots the Feral Phantom and chases it.

Horror Situation: Dr. Julian attempts to stab the Feral Phantom with a lethal injection. He almost succeeds.

Reaction: The Feral Phantom makes a ‘whooping’ call.

Horror Situation: Dr. Julian attacks Feral Phantom. They fight. Sasquatch arrives. Dr. Julian paralyzed with fear.

Reaction: Feral Phantom goes berserker and beats on Dr. Julian. Sasquatch carries off Feral Phantom.

Hysteria: Sam, Megan, and Maddy play off each others paranoia while Declan sets his trap.

Horror Situation: Sasquatch traps Declan instead.

Reaction: Feral Phantom reveals herself: Dr. Eleanor Sable. Dr. Eleanor Sable reveals some of how she got to be there and why she protects this Sasquatch. She spares Declan’s life.

Character Near Death: Declan almost succumbs to the Feral Phantom but is spared.

Why?: The Feral Phantom thinks Declan is a threat, at first, but they come to have a mutual respect though perhaps a difference of methodology..

How?: The Feral Phantom will use his instruments against him but let him live at the last minute.

The Feral Phantom and the Sasquatch retreat into the cave.

The thrilling escape from death: False defeat of villain.

Horror Situation: Dr. Julian insane with rage grabs gun and fumbles bullets into it.

Reaction: Declan tries to stop him and gets shot but not fatally. Dr. Julian fires at the girls but misses. He’s not really thinking clear.

Death returns to take one or more: The villain overthrown, but at a heavy cost.

Sasquatch senses danger, stops Dr. Sable from leaving cave.

Horror Situation: Dr. Julian takes a hunting knife off Flint’s corpse.

Reaction: Sam knows what he must do, Dr. Julian pushes him away and swings the knife at him, nearly hitting him.

Horror Situation: Sasquatch on the move. Dr. Julian captures the Feral Phantom and goes for the kill.

Reaction: Declan kills Dr. Julian, protecting Sasquatch and Feral Phantom.

Character Death 5: Dr. Julian gets killed by Declan.

Why?: Dr. Julian wants to experiment on the Sasquatch and confine it for his own interests. That doesn’t sit well with it’s protector, and Declan knows the greater enemy.

How?: Declan stabs him in the heart (“If only you knew how to use it better.),” and the Feral Phantom frees him of the knife.

Resolution: Sasquatch free, teens get free but some friends down, and disturbed by shaken reality. Declan has his evidence but chooses to keep it secret.

Declan meets the Sasquatch.

Dr. Sable and Sasquatch leave.

Sam joins his friends only to find out that after all he did to try to give them one last hurrah, he broke their friendship—he did. What he tries to save, he loses. Megan knows what happened was unforeseeable but Maddy wants nothing to do with him and blames him for the nightmares she’ll never forget.

Horror Situation: Sam stares off a ledge, overcome and ready to fall.

Reaction: Declan pulls him back. One last line of sagely advice.

Morning comes on, foggy. The authorities arriving, the military.

Another Sasquatch stands up, bears it’s teeth and retreats into the woods.

[Eve Williams]

Eve Williams’ Character Death Track

What I learned doing this assignment is that having a very small cast means many less kills.

Character Death 1:

Bonita, the teenaged Chihuahua.

Why: There are only five characters in my story. Alberto leaves within the first ten minutes before the monster action starts so it can’t be him.

That leaves Maria, Jesus and Lolita-Bird.

Maria is necessary to move the story along and also to kill the monster. As well as the fact that leaving a 5 year old marooned in the desert would be a true horror story.

Lolita-Bird is the only other possibility. More people hate parrots than dogs so I’m not sure her death would have a big impact.

Which leaves Bonita. She’s an old, incontinent, yippy yappy Chihuahua and something must be sacrificed to the monster.

How: She’s found in the shed, throat cut, blood drained. Surrounded by blood, bones, candles and wax in the center of the painted pentagram .

This occurs just before the Midpoint of the Story, where it is discovered that the monster is worse than we think.

[Brett Born]

Brett Born’s Character Death Track

What I learned doing this assignment is the importance of the timing of the death scenes in a horror film.

ACT 1 – SET UP FOR HORROR

-Atmosphere of Evil established: Flashback thirty years to the night of the first murder at the drive-in.

Horror Situation: Jim comes face to face with Buck.

Reaction – Escape: Horrified moviegoers panic when they realize what’s happening.

Character Death 1: Buck stabs Jim to death in middle of the drive-in theatre.

Why: Jim interrupts Buck’s ceremony for his deceased father.

How: Jim is caught off guard. Had no idea Buck was a psychopath.

-Connect with the characters: Present day… reconnect with several of the characters including one who is a detective hunting a serial killer and one working to reopen the drive-in. Meet new characters planning a podcast/reality series that will document experiences at the alleged haunted drive-in.

Horror Situation: Rideshare driver picks up Buck. Buck mentally torments him.

Reaction – 1st Denial & 2nd Fight. Driver thinks Buck is playing then takes him seriously. Screams for him to get out of the car.

Horror Situation: Buck takes a family hostage.

Reaction – Try to solve it: Detective called to crime scene to investigate the attack.

Character Deaths 2&3&4: Three of the family members are killed. Father has throat cut. Mother is strangled. Daughter is stabbed. One survives.

Why: Buck feels betrayed by the mother character.

How: Surprised by Buck’s reappearance. They had no idea he had been released from custody.

-The Characters are warned not to do it: Jen orders Christine to stay away from the theatre. Jade argues with Shin that reopening the theatre is a terrible idea.

Horror Situation: Muse stalks Christine at her house.

Reaction – Denial: Christine thinks it’s someone playing a joke.

-Denial of Horror: Buck Kilgore has been locked away for thirty years. Muse is only a legend.

Horror Situation: Detective suspects that Buck is somehow linked to the attack on the family. He revisits the crime scene with Terra. They are attacked.

Reaction – Try to solve it: But how? It was dark, hard to identify the attacker. How could it be Buck? He should still be incarcerated.

Character Death 5: Terra has her throat cut by Buck

Why: She and the Detective corner Buck.

How: Surprised. Buck was hiding.

Horror Situation: Detective visits survivor of home invasion and she says something only Buck’s first drive-in victim would know.

Reaction – Try to solve it. How could the victim have known this?

-Safety Taken Away: Cell phones have been blocked by an app from the management team. Even Shin’s phone is blocked. Can’t initiate any outgoing communication and only receive incoming messages from Muse. Jade is nowhere to be found.

Horror Situation: Muse sends Intermission ads to the group via their phones.

Reaction: Confusion – What does it mean? Who is doing this? Why is this happening?

-Monster: The nature of the beast – Buck attacks double dating teens after he finds them trespassing at the theatre.

Horror Situation: Buck traps four teens on a rooftop.

Reaction: One escapes by jumping off the roof. Severely injured, she’s taken hostage.

Character Deaths 6&7&8: Three are killed. One is stabbed in throat. One stabbed in eye. One stabbed in chest.

Why: The teens are trespassing on what Buck’s considers to be his family property.

How: They are all taken by surprise.

Horror Situation: Some of the core group find blood evidence from the attack on the double date.

Reaction: Denial – Must be part of the podcast/reality show.

ACT 2 – THE POINT OF NO RETURN

-Isolated/Trapped/Abducted: Cars have been tampered with. Pyro guys have disappeared. Film crew hasn’t arrived as scheduled.

Horror Situation: The pyro guys are missing. The film crew is nowhere to be found. No one is able to make an outgoing call. No one knows where Jade is. Shin insists that he has no idea what’s going on.

Reaction: Denial – Shin believes Jade is sabotaging the opening of the drive-in because she changed her mind.

-One of us is killed: Muse murders Carlos outside the ticket booth.

Horror Situation: Marcos is confronted by Muse outside the ticket booth. Marcos doesn’t understand what he’s facing.

Character Death 9: Muse guts Marcos.

Why: To hurt Christine

How: Marcos is blindsided by the danger

Horror Situation: Erik pays a visit to Buck’s doctor. Finds the doctor tied to a chair.

Reaction: Try to solve it – It has to be Buck. He’s attacked the family and the doctor. Who is his next target?

Character Death 10: Doctor has had arms and legs cut off and left with tourniquets tied to his limbs so he’ll bleed to death slowly.

Why: Buck was angry with his diagnosis

How: Doctor would have been wary of Buck, but Buck blindsided him.

MIDPOINT – The Monster is worse than we thought: Muse stalks Shin and kills him. First time the group sees the Intermission ads play on the big screen starring the dead.

Horror Situation: Shin is chased by Muse.

Character Death 11: Shin is beheaded.

Why: He is the money behind the reopening of the drive-in

How: Betrayed/Surprised

-Terrorized: Buck attacks the girls in the bathroom. He kills Hannah.

Horror Situation: Girls are trapped in the bathroom by Buck.

Reaction: Escape – Christine, Lauren and Zoe make it out of the bathroom and back to the lobby.

Character Death 12: Hannah is dragged into the darkness

Why: Buck wants the trespassers out.

How: Surprised. She didn’t know that there was a threat until it was too late.

Character Death 13: Jerry’s body is found

Why: Muse has no plans to leave any witnesses behind

How: Betrayed

Horror Situation: Muse throws Shin’s corpse through the lobby ceiling.

Reaction: They need to find a way out!

ACT 3 – FULL OUT HORROR

-Fight to the death: Group tries to retrieve the only working cell phone from Hannah’s corpse. They fail, and Barbra is killed in the process. Javier tries to escape in his car, and he’s killed. The remaining survivors make a run for the pyro van in hopes of finding a weapon.

Horror Situation: Someone has to go back into the girl’s bathroom to retrieve Hannah’s phone.

Reaction: The remaining survivors need a new plan for escape.

Character Death 14: Barbra is killed.

Why: Trying to call for help

How: Attempted to put a plan into action that fails

Horror Situation: Javier makes a run for his car.

Reaction: New plan for escape.

Character Death 15: The car has been tampered with. Javier doesn’t make it far. He’s killed as the other’s watch.

Why: Disrupts Buck’s ceremony for his deceased father

How: Attempted to escape but the plan fails

Horror Situation: Last survivors trapped inside the pyro van as Buck pounds the outside.

Reaction: Fight back.

-Hysteria: Buck has the remaining survivors trapped in the pyro van. They formulate a plan to fight him. It fails.

Horror Situation: Girls leave the van and confront Buck. Muse attacks Buck.

Reaction: Girls must now escape Muse.

Character Death 16: Buck is killed by Muse.

Why: Revenge for killing Jim

How: Surprised — Buck had no idea Muse existed.

Horror Situation: Face to face with Muse. Alyxx is wounded.

Reaction: They catch a break and are able to run.

-The thrilling escape from death: The girls escape with the road flares and race for the movie screen so they can climb to the top and light them, hoping someone from the highway will see the call for help.

Horror Situation: Alyxx can’t make the climb up the ladder.

Reaction: The girls have to find a place to hide Alyxx and leave her behind.

Character Death 17: The survivors find the remains of Jade

Why: She was trying to reopen the drive-in

How: Betrayed and blindsided

Horror Situation: Alyxx is trapped, and Muse is coming.

Character Death 18: Muse finds Alyxx and butchers her.

Why: To hurt Christine and terrorize the other survivors

How: Injury hobbled Alyxx so her best option was to hide, but she was found by Muse.

-Death returns to take one or more: Christine is tricked into coming down from the top of the movie screen. She’s taken hostage, along with her mom.

Horror Situation: Christine’s mom drives into the theatre lot.

Reaction: Christine must leave the safety of her position high above to go warn her mother.

Horror Situation: Lauren and Zoe chase after Christine to help her.

Reaction: They don’t find Christine, but they find an operational vehicle. They leave to go get help.

-Resolution: Detective unmasks Muse, saves the one survivor of the double date, but is too late to save Christine and her mom. Christine and the other unlucky victims become part of the haunting intermission ads which play on the giant screens.

Horror Situation: Detective helpless to stop pyro van explosion.

Reaction: Denial – He watches the intermission ad play on the big screen starring a cast of deceased victims.

Character Deaths 19&20: Christine and her mother are inside the van

Why: To destroy Erik… Muse’s ultimate goal

How: Jen was blindsided, and Christine fell for a trap while trying to save her mother.

[Suzanne Frank]

Suzanne Frank’s character death track

What I learned is that I am CREEPY … because the “key” to my monster is “Death is merciful, but sadly for you, I am Retribution” …

Char death #1: Bettina (she poisoned old people she was supposed to care for) found, surrounded by “treasures” and covered in her own filth from choking while dying (but 2nd body found)

Char death #2 Niall (spy against his nation in WWI) drawn and quartered (first body found)

Char death #3 Eugenia (witch hunter, from family of same) burns, drowned, halved

Char death #4 Claude (rich from Panama canal ) malaria, only FF and repeatedly.

Char death #5 Dominic (arms dealer) shot to shreds by the statues of “judgment”

Char death #6 Harry … he thinks he escapes by suicide … but arrives in underworld where he is stoned with diamonds, to recover and be stoned again … and will be, for the 4,000 deaths he caused

Char death #7 Caro stabs herself to get to underworld and help stop the slaughter

(Char death #8/Fiametta … who takes out monster )

[Tasha Espinoza]

Tasha’s Character Death Track

What I learned doing this assignment is that it’s very helpful to see why the deaths happen in the story to motivate plot points and provide more structure.

1. Give us the order your characters die in.

With each character tell us the why and how.

• Character Death 1: Sheena

• Why: Sheena is an innocent whose death kicks off her act of vengeance and the whole movie.

• How: Killed by Mirror Mirror via body modification, torture and dismemberment.

• Character Death 2: Targ

• Why: Sheena is successful in scaring him to death.

• How: He flees his house haunted by Sheena and runs into oncoming traffic and is fatally hit by a car.

• Character Death 3: Liv

• Why: Liv is an innocent who Sheena targets to exact her revenge against the group of guys that let her die. By sending Mirror Mirror after the group she can kills off their innocent loved ones which parallels that she was an innocent and a loved one of her mother, but the guys looked at her like she was expendable. She died because she couldn’t give them what they wanted and their loved ones will die giving Mirror Mirror what he wants. As the group tries to stop Mirror Mirror, he will kill them for survival and sport. This kill will also demonstrate how deadly Mirror Mirror is.

• How: Mirror Mirror modifies Liv’s body surgically until she dies.

• Character Death 4: Faye

• Why: Faye dies to exact Sheena’s revenge, up the body count and get back at Qade especially.

• How: Kidnapped in her own car and killed by Mirror Mirror who performs body modifications that go too far as usual.

• Character Death 5: Jean Tyrone

• Why: The second of the group to die, which is Sheena’s main target. Sheena influences Mirror Mirror to believe Jean Tyrone fits his MO and therefore he kills him.

• How: Mirror Mirror kills Tyrone by a tar and feather method that uses lipstick and skin melting, to make him look more feminine.

• Character Death 6: Qade

• Why: Mirror Mirror pursues Qade through his house of horrors and kills him to survive, protect his secret surgery house and prevent Qade from preventing Mirror Mirror from performing his special surgeries on Vivi.

• How: Surprise attack and a lot of stabbing. He’s also burned him with bleach and maimed him in one eye earlier in the climax.

• Character Death 7: Mirror Mirror

• Why: Mirror Mirror dies because he’s a serial killer and must be stopped.

• How: Ike burns down Mirror Mirror’s “surgery” shack with Mirror Mirror inside.

• Character Death 8: Vivi

• Why: She dies because Mirror Mirror pulls her into the burning house and Ike chooses to save himself.

• How: Burning house collapses on her.

2. Build the answers into your outline.

ACT 1 — SET UP FOR HORROR

Atmosphere of Evil established: Sheena, a young girl traveling at night is stalked by the Mirror Mirror serial killer.

Horror Situation: Attacked and Chased – Mirror Mirror runs her off the road and chases her through the dark woods.

Reaction: Escape – She makes it to the road and flags a van down, explaining that a crazy guy ran her off the road and is following her. She needs to be taken to the nearest gas station or police station, anywhere but there.

Horror Situation: Refusing to take action – The van of thuggy dudes refuses to give her a ride because she can’t give them anything. She promises to haunt them to their graves.

Reaction: Denial – They don’t care if anything bad happens to the girl and mock her vow to haunt them. They drive away leaving her stranded.

Horror Situation: Physically Tortured – The next day she’s found mutilated (partially dismembered?) on the side of the road.

• Character Death 1: Sheena

• Why: Sheena is an innocent whose death kicks off her act of vengeance and the whole movie.

• How: Killed by Mirror Mirror via body modification, torture and dismemberment.

Connect with the characters: The lead thuggy dude, Qade picks up his boys, Targ, Jean Tyrone and Ike, one by one to go to a party. They give Jean Tyrone’s beloved little sister, Vivi, a ride to her friend’s house.

The characters are warned not to do it: Ike sees a news story about Sheena’s murder and thinks back to Sheena’s vow to haunt them to death because they didn’t help her.

Denial of Horror: Qade tells Ike he’s worried about nothing. He pins Sheena’s news picture to a dart board and Targ sends a dart into it.

Reaction: Guilt – Ike goes to Sheena’s funeral. (Note: this can be revealed later. He sees Sheena’s mother there who looks like a ghost of herself because she’s overwrought with grief).

Safety taken away: Ike sees the apparition of Sheena on his ring camera and she blows up his phone with a text saying she found him.

Horror Situation: Impending doom – Sheena knows where Ike lives.

Reaction – Denial – Ike tells Targ who blames it on the last crazy “bitch” that Ike ghosted. He tells him that he needs to learn to stop fucking girls at his place.

Horror Situation: Environment changing around you – Targ experiences cold spots and the feeling that someone is watching him. He shows up at Ike’s asking to stay the night. Targ wakes up in the middle of the night. The house is an icebox. He sees a figure in the doorway. It’s Ike. Ike asks if he can hear the woman crying in the basement.

Reaction – Escape: They go to Qade’s place. They ask Jean Tyrone if he’s experienced anything and he says no.

A character refuses to take action: Qade sends them home.

Monster: The nature of the beast: Qade’s TV shuts off and he sees Sheena’s obscured image in the barely reflective surface of his screen.

Horror Situation: She points at him and moves to him. On the surface of the reflection he sees her grab him and start whispering in his ear.

Reaction: Escape – He jumps up and tries to shrug her off. Chilled, he grabs his coat and heads out of the house.

ACT 2 — THE POINT OF NO RETURN

Isolated / Trapped / Abducted: Sheena begins her customized assaults on the group.

Horror Situation: Being lured into danger – Jean Tyrone hears “Vivi” calling him for help.

Reaction: Solve it – He frantically follows the sound to find Vivi.

Horror Situation: Tricked – He sees Vivi lying dismembered at the bottom of the stairs.

Reaction: He runs to her and she disappears.

Horror Situation: Mentally tortured – Ike is stalked by Sheena’s apparition in various stages of mutilation everywhere and it’s driving him to madness.

Horror Situation: Monster trying to get to you – Targ hears footsteps running towards him but nobody’s there. Doors and cupboards fly open all around him.

Horror Situation: Monster trying to get you – An apparition of Sheena’s dismembered body flies after him. Sheena makes him see her cut open his throat in the mirror (note: Sheena can manipulate what you see in surfaces and shadows, etc.). All the activity makes him think the monster is going to get him.

One of us is killed: Escape – Targ runs into the street and gets fatally hit by a car.

• Character Death 2: Targ

• Why: Sheena is successful in scaring him to death.

• How: He flees his house haunted by Sheena and runs into oncoming traffic and is fatally hit by a car.

Reaction: Denial – Qade berates the group for letting some bitch ghost scare them into doing “stupid shit” and points out that her scare tactics are actually harmless. All she can do is make them see things and open a few cupboards. He says put on a jacket and ignore the bitch.

MIDPOINT: The monster is worse than we thought! Full pursuit by the killer: Out of the frying pan and into the fire – Sheena influences (whispers, dreams, etc) Mirror Mirror to visit the block that Vivi walks down to get to school.

Horror Situation: The monster is coming – Mirror Mirror follows Vivi and sees Liv (her mother), Faye (her sister) and Jean Tyrone (her brother) throughout the day.

Horror Situation: Kidnapped – Liv is injected with a sedative.

Horror Situation: Trapped – Liv wakes up in a basement room.

Reaction: Escape – Liv bloodies her fingers to work the pins out of the door hinge.

Horror Situation: Fall through the floor – Liv almost gets out of the abandoned house but falls through a trap door onto a surgical table.

Reaction: Fight – Liv hurts herself falling onto the surgical table, but she tries to fight Mirror Mirror as he straps her down.

Horror Situation: Physically tortured – Liv dies from the body modification Mirror Mirror does to her.

• Character Death 3: Liv

• Why: Liv is an innocent who Sheena targets to exact her revenge against the group of guys that let her die. By sending Mirror Mirror after the group she can kills off their innocent loved ones which parallels that she was an innocent and a loved one of her mother, but the guys looked at her like she was expendable. She died because she couldn’t give them what they wanted and their loved ones will die giving Mirror Mirror what he wants. As the group tries to stop Mirror Mirror, he will kill them for survival and sport. This kill will also demonstrate how deadly Mirror Mirror is.

• How: Mirror Mirror modifies Liv’s body surgically until she dies.

Terrorized: Mirror Mirror abducts other members of the group.

Horror Situation: Menacing Stranger – Faye finds an old lady in her back seat.

Reaction: Denial – Sheena influences Faye to deny the red flags of the situation as she tries to help the lady, who ends up being Mirror Mirror in disguise. Faye is taken by Mirror Mirror.

Horror Situation: Tricked – Jean Tyrone sees Faye’s car broken down on the side of the road and Sheena influences him to think Mirror Mirror is Faye is under the hood.

Reaction: Solve it – Jean Tyrone stops by to see if he can help his sister and gets stab in the neck by a paralytic. Mirror Mirror, disguised as Faye, takes Tyrone.

Horror Situation: Impending doom – Liv’s dead body is discovered by Ike with body modification that seems familiar.

Reaction: Solve it – With Jean Tyrone nowhere to be found, Qade has a grieving Vivi stay at his place.

Horror Situation: No escape – Ike realizes that Sheena figured out how to use Mirror Mirror to exact her revenge.

Reaction: Solve it – Qade and Ike realize they have to kill Mirror Mirror and banish Sheena.

ACT 3 — FULL OUT HORROR

Fight to the death: Qade fightst to stop Mirror Mirror from taking Vivi.

Horror Situation: Monster trying to get you – Mirror Mirror breaks into Qades home and tries to get Vivi.

Reaction: Fight – Vivi fights and almost gets away, but Mirror Mirror gets the upper hand.

Horror Situation: Monster trying to get you – Qade comes home and tries to stop Mirror Mirror from taking Vivi, but he escapes to his car with her.

Reaction: Fight – Wounded, Qade jumps in his car and tries to follow Mirror Mirror. He calls Ike and says he’s in pursuit of Mirror Mirror because he took Vivi.

Horror Situation: Lost – Qade loses Mirror Mirror.

Reaction: Solve it – Qade drives around and finds the only abandoned structure in the area.

Horror Situation: Friends in danger – He shares his location with Ike and tells him he’s going to check out the abandoned shack.

Reaction: Solve it – Qade goes into the house.

Horror Situation: Walking into a trap – Mirror Mirror is alerted to Qade’s arrival in the house by a nest camera.

Hysteria: Qade and Ike encounter their dead friends as they get closer to Vivi and Mirror Mirror.

Horror Situation: See another dead body – Qade runs into Jean Tyrone’s hanging dead body.

• Character Death 5: Jean Tyrone

• Why: The second of the group to die, which is Sheena’s main target. Sheena influences Mirror Mirror to believe Jean Tyrone fits his MO and therefore he kills him.

• How: Mirror Mirror kills Tyrone by a tar and feather method that uses lipstick and skin melting, to make him look more feminine. (Should maybe see the beginning of this or Tyrone trapped and then “let out” only to find the room with the device that will do this to him.)

Horror Situation: Slime – Qade thinks Jean Tyrone’s blood is on him but he realizes Jean Tyrone is covered in red lipstick. Now it’s all over Qade. Jean Tyrone’s body modifications freak Qade out.

Reaction: Escape – Qade runs further into the house.

Horror Situation: Lured into the Horror – Ike finds Qade’s car and enters the shack.

Horror Situation: Seeing another dead body – Faye’s dead body falls out a hole in the ceiling and Ike becomes tangled up with her.

• Character Death 4: Faye

• Why: Faye dies to exact Sheena’s revenge, up the body count and get back at Qade especially.

• How: Kidnapped in her own car and killed by Mirror Mirror who performs body modifications that go too far as usual.

Reaction: Escape – He struggles to free himself from the tangle of Faye’s body pulling him to the ground. He aggressively steps back.

Horror Situation: Trap door in the floor – Ike steps onto the trap and he falls through the floor with Faye on him.

Horror Situation: Injured – Ike falls onto the surgical table with Faye on top of him and breaks his leg.

Reaction: Escape – Ike tries to get out from under Faye

Reaction: Hide – Ike gets dragged into the other room by Qade. Qade is badly burned with bleach and blind in one eye.

Horror Situation: Face to Face with the monster – Mirror Mirror enters the room.

Horror Situation: Seeing other dead body – Mirror Mirror shove’s Faye’s into the other room with Qade and Ike. Qade reacts violently to seeing the dead body of his girlfriend but tries to keep quiet.

Horror Situation: Friends in Danger – Mirror Mirror roles Vivi into his “surgical room”.

Horror Situation: Cannot see – Qade and Ike strain to see through the hole in the wall if Vivi is still alive. It looks like Mirror Mirror has already begun making modifications to her.

Horror Situation: Face to face with the monster – Distracted, Qade and Ike don’t see that Mirror Mirror has entered their room. Mirror strikes down Qade with several fatal knife stabs (or something else that fits his MO – maybe Mirror Mirror injects him with the sedative, drags him into the “surgery” room and starts taking vital things off of him to put on Vivi – maybe if he catches Ike).

• Character Death 6: Qade

• Why: Mirror Mirror pursues Qade through his house of horrors and kills him to survive, protect his secret surgery house and prevent Qade from preventing Mirror Mirror from performing his special surgeries on Vivi.

• How: Surprise attack and a lot of stabbing. He’s also burned him with bleach and maimed him in one eye earlier in the climax. (Still unsure if Ike should die and Qade should live?)

Reaction: Escape – Ike runs into the surgery room to find Vivi still alive. He frees her from the surgical table/gurney on wheels and they run back through the house of horrors and make it outside.

The thrilling escape from death: Ike douses the shack in gasoline from his car and lights it on fire. The shack is dry and made of flammable materials and it quickly turns into an inferno. Ike calls the cops. He didn’t call them earlier because he was going to commit arson??

• Character Death 7: Mirror Mirror

• Why: Mirror Mirror dies because he’s a serial killer and must be stopped.

• How: Ike burns down Mirror Mirror’s “surgery” shack with Mirror Mirror inside.

Death returns to take one or more: – Ike sees Sheena in the flames. Distracted, he doesn’t see Mirror Mirror emerge to grab Vivi and pull her back into the inferno of the house.

Reaction: Fight – Ike heads into the burning building to get Vivi but Mirror Mirror had dragged her deep into the flames.

Horror Situation: Dilemma – Vivi screams in pain and horror. Ike tries to go in further, but Sheena crashes into the burning structures of the house so they start to fall around him. Vivi can still be saved, but when Ike sees Sheena at the doorway, he knows he has only one chance to jump through it before she rams it and the whole place collapses on him. He saves himself.

• Character Death 8: Vivi

• Why: She dies because Mirror Mirror pulls her into the burning house and Ike chooses to save himself.

• How: Burning house collapses on her.

Resolution: Ike lives. He gives his statement to the local police exposing Mirror Mirror. He’s a local hero. But at night when he sleeps, he dreams of killing himself over the guilt of leaving Vivi behind. When he’s able to calm himself and return to sleep, Vivi whispers into his ear and Sheena joins her to increase Vivi’s power of influence.